Coke herb is he althy, grows in your own garden and tastes like cola. This easy-to-grow herb is a true addition to any garden.
In case you have ever wondered what cola herb (Artemisia abrotanum var. maritima) is and whether there is such a thing at all there, you are in the right place with this article. We present the special garden plant and give tips on how to grow cola herb and how to use southernwood subspecies.
Coke herb: flower, origin and properties
The southernwood originally comes from south-eastern Europe. Therefore, it gets along very well with warm and dry climates and prefers sunny locations. Nevertheless, the subshrub, also known as stickroot, is considered hardy in our country. The individual shoots that make up the Cola shrub grow up to 1 m high. They - together with the feathery, silver-green leaves - are responsible for its bushy appearance.
Coke herb blooms from July to September. Then the yellowish blossoms of southernwood, which are actually very small, appear. However, they stand together in cup-like inflorescences and leave a wonderful impression. Unfortunately, the cola plant often does not flower in more northern areas, including here in Germany. In warm summers, however, the bushes often not only flowered, but even produced fruit. In contrast to many other southernwood species, cola herb does not have a strong smell that takes getting used to. On the other hand, it smells pleasantly and intensively of cola, which is a small sensation in every garden.
Related species and varieties of cola
Coke herb is a subspecies of southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum). But there are other close relatives of cola herb, which also stand out due to their characteristic smell. Since all the plants presented belong to the same species, their requirements for location and care are similar.
- Camphor Southernwood(Artemisia abrotanum var. camphorata): The camphor southernwood has a higher content of camphor, which is why it is bitter and very spicy tastes. However, bitter substances are very he althy and support digestion, for example, which is why camphor southernwood is well suited for seasoning high-fat dishes.
- Lemon southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum var. citrata): The lemon southernwood smells and tastes, as the name suggests, very lemony. Furthermore, their leaves are a bit more delicate than most other southernwoods.
- French Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum ‘Courson’): This variety of southernwood stands out for its complex and multi-layered aroma. The French southernwood is also excellent as an ornamental plant for bed borders or hedges.
Growing southernwood: location and procedure
Since southernwood is native to south-eastern Europe, the preferred locations for cola herb are sunny, warm and sheltered. The Coca-Cola bush, on the other hand, makes few demands on the soil. It needs neither a lot of nutrients nor a lot of water and feels most comfortable in permeable, deep and calcareous soils. Sand, gravel or stones support water drainage and help to prevent waterlogging. She doesn't like Colakraut at all. The small shrub also tolerates a culture in a pot only moderately. If you still want to try it, you should choose a bucket that is as large and, above all, as deep as possible, since southernwood develops deep roots.
The optimal planting time for cola herb is in the spring from around May. Then the plants can be placed directly outdoors at a distance of at least 40 cm. If you want to grow the cola plant yourself from seeds, a preculture from March is recommended. If you keep a few things in mind, this should just work. Alternatively, the seeds can be sown directly outdoors from mid-April. The best way to do this is to plant several seeds in one spot so that you have a backup if some seeds don't germinate.
Procedure for the pre-cultivation of Colakraut:
- Fill a shallow seed tray with nutrient-poor soil. For example, our Plantura organic herb and seed soil is very suitable for this.
- Southernwood is one of thoselight germination. Therefore you should only sprinkle the cola seeds loosely on the soil and press them down lightly, but not cover them with soil.
- In the near future you should keep the substrate constantly moist, but also make sure that it is not too wet.
- The optimum germination temperature for Colakraut is 20 °C. Under these conditions, the seeds should germinate in about 10 to 12 days.
- Now the little plants need a lot of light. Therefore they should be placed on a very sunny windowsill.
- After developing the first leaves, the plants should be transplanted into their own pots so that they have enough space to develop their root system.
- By May the plants should be ready to go out into the garden.
Tip: Colakraut prefers a calcareous soil with a high pH value. If the pH of the soil is rather acidic, lime fertilization is a good idea. Our Plantura Organic Lawn & Garden Lime is well suited, for example, which is easy to spread thanks to its fine-grained structure and works quickly.
Care of Cola herb
Cola herb is very easy to care for, as it does not need many nutrients or much water. You can read about what needs to be considered in the following sections.
Pruning, watering and fertilizing
Due to its rather low nutrient requirements, cola herb does not necessarily have to be fertilized outdoors. However, you can work a slow-acting fertilizer into the soil in spring at the beginning of the growing season to support regrowth. The situation is different, however, when cola herb is cultivated in a pot. Regular fertilization with a long-term fertilizer is essential here. Our primarily organic Plantura organic universal fertilizer with long-term effect or compost is ideal for both.
You don't have to worry about the water supply for most of the year either. Only in very hot and long dry periods does the cola bush need water and should be watered.
Caring for the cola bush also includes pruning. The best time to do this is in spring. Cutting promotes dense, compact growth and the formation of young, aromatic shoots. If the shoots protrude far outwards, they can be cut off completely and the inside of the subshrub can also be thinned out a little.
Southernwoodturns brown: What to do?
Parts of southernwood turning brown can have various and partly completely natural causes. For one thing, cola herb is a subshrub, which means that older shoots become lignified and brown. Even in winter, the brown coloring is a completely normal process. In very severe frost, parts of the plant above the ground can turn brown and die. But that doesn't mean the whole plant is dead. As a rule, it will sprout again in the spring.
However, if the plant turns brown prematurely and withers, this can also be due to well-intentioned watering. Because cola herb does not tolerate waterlogging at all. If the cola shrub has been in a very moist substrate for a long time, it is best to repot it. The roots can be cut and then the plant placed in fresh, dry, well-drained substrate.
Propagating Cola herb
Coke herb can be propagated either by seeds or by cuttings. However, since it is not certain whether your plant will flower and you can harvest the southernwood seeds, the easier way is usually via cuttings. The procedure for this is relatively simple and usually crowned with success.
- In late summer, cut off the top 10 cm of a young, green shoot and use it as a cutting.
- Remove all leaves from the bottom, about the last 4 cm.
- Then put the shoot in a small pot filled with herb and seed compost. You may be able to mix the soil with sand to increase the permeability of the substrate. Our Plantura organic herb and seed soil is also very suitable here, as it is for growing seeds.
- In the coming period it is important to keep the soil slightly moist throughout. The cuttings have a relatively large leaf area through which water evaporates, but no roots yet to absorb water from the soil.
- To keep evaporation as low as possible, the pot should be covered with a plastic bag.
- If the cola cuttings are well established, this can be recognized by new leaf growth.
Is cola herb hardy?
Although it comes from the Mediterranean region, cola herb is usually a hardy shrub in our country too, surviving temperatures as low as -23 °C. So it shouldn't be a problemto overwinter cola herb. But if you want to be on the safe side, you can also cover the root area with brushwood or straw. However, cola plants that are cultivated in tubs should ideally be overwintered frost-free.
Harvesting and Use of Cola Herb
The leaves of Cola can be used in cooking. They can be harvested throughout the growing season, although the bitterness increases with age. The content of bitter substances in flowers and seeds is also relatively high, which is why these parts of the cola herb are usually not used. The leaves do not lose much of their aroma either when dried or when cooked. It is therefore possible to dry the cola herb and you should only approach the taste in small quantities when cooking. To live up to its name, cola herb lemonade or southernwood tea can also be made from the leaves. For the lemonade, a syrup is made from shoot tips, sugar, lemon juice and water. For a tea, the leaves are simply poured over with boiling water.
Note: Southernwood is non-toxic, but as is so often the case, the quantity makes the poison. For example, eating too much can lead to vomiting. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid taking cola herb, as the leaves contain, among other things, the essential oil thujone, which has an antispasmodic effect and can thus induce labour.
Effect of southernwood
Southernwood was already cultivated in the Middle Ages for its medicinal properties and is therefore considered a typical monastery garden herb. The tannins and bitter substances it contains support digestion and provide relief from stomach problems. However, one should note that the content of bitter substances in camphor southernwood, for example, is significantly higher than in cola herb. In addition, Artemisia abrotanum is said to have an anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect, among other things. That's why southernwood tea can help with menstrual cramps, for example.
If you've found a taste for unusual herbs, you've come to the right place with our article on cheese weed. It's also easy to grow and tastes tangy like cheese.